Ateneo Blue Eagles Defeated The DLSU Green Archers In UAAP Season 75 Round 1: Sweet 13 For Coach Norman!

By Val Marvin G. Macanas

"Sweet 13", "Ateneo 1-0 La Salle"


Going back to the time when Coach Norman Black assumed the position as the new Head Coach of the Ateneo De Manila Blue Eagles... since then he has propelled Ateneo to a Sweet, 13 Wins all in all against their arch rival, the De La Salle Green Archers. The 13th win came in yesterday as the Blue Eagles clawed pass the Green Archers in their First Round match up in the UAAP Season 75 that was held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

When you take a look at the scoring per quarter: 20-8, 35-28, 53-50, and 71-61, Ateneo won all of them. DLSU had some mini-runs but Ateneo was successful in answering all of them.

Ateneo had a great start in this game. Right from tip off they were able to dictate the tempo of the game. They had several fast break points in this game. In effect they were able to dominate in the scoring end.

The Blue Mamba, Kiefer Ravena, led the scoring for the Blue Eagles in the First Quarter. He had 8 points anchored on several fastbreak finishes. Ateneo ended the First Quarter, with a big 12 point lead, 20-8.

During the 2nd Quarter, Luigi Dela Paz, LA Revilla and Jed Manguera tried to trim down their deficit via a mini-run, but Ateneo was able to effective answer their run. Ateneo still had an 11 point lead to end the First Half, 26-35.

LA Revilla scored 10 of his 16 points in the 2nd half. He was helped by Norbert Torres and Jeron Teng in scoring for the Green Archer especially during the 3rd Quarter while they were making a big run. Jeron had 8 of his 13 points in the 3rd Quarter while Torres had 11 points. They were able to tie the game at 42 all with less than 4 minutes left on the 3rd Quarter clock. But sadly, they were not able to sustain their momentum. Greg Slaughter had 10 points in the 3rd Quarter to help Ateneo take the lead at the end of the 3rd Period, 53-50.

Ateneo had a 9-3 run up to the last 6 minutes of the 4th Quarter, making it 62-53 with 5:48 left in the 4th Period. Greg Slaughter and Nico Salva delivered the goods for Ateneo in the 4th and Final Quarter. Slaughter had 6 points in the 4th while Salva scored 12 of his 16 points in the 2nd Half. DLSU's Jeron Teng had the chance to cut the lead of Ateneo down to 5 points but he split his charities making it 67-61 with 40 seconds left in the 4th Quarter. Then La Salle made a costly 5 second inbound violation. Kiefer was fouled in the ensuing play. He split his charities. Then afterwards La Salle committed a turnover. They fouled Nico Salva. He made his 2 freethrows and then after that he had a wide open a lay-up to end the game, 71-61.


DLSU lost in this First Round game against Ateneo, but their number 1 point guard, arguably the smallest player on the court, Mr. LA Revilla, got the admiration of the fans as he dazzled the crowd inside the MOA Arena with his mad dribbling skills and with his overflowing passion for the game. He led the Green Archers in scoring as he notched 16 big points, 7 nifty assists and 5 rebounds. Jeron Teng had 13 points and 8 rebounds while Norbert Torres had 11 points at the end of the game.

With this big win of the Blue Eagles, Ateneo is now 2nd in the team standings with a 3-1 record behind the unbeatean FEU Tamaraws. But, Coach Norman Black still thinks that his team is not yet 100% and that they have to train more especially on their defensive plays. When he was asked about their target this Season, he said that they want to get into the Final 4, and get the First or the Second spot so that they will have a twice to beat advantage.


Some Stats:

Ateneo De Manila Blue Eagles (ADMU) 71: Slaughter 20, Ravena 16, Salva 16, Chua 6, Tiongson 4, Buenafe 3, Elorde 3, Pessumal 2, Erram 1, Gonzaga 0, Sumalinog 0

De La Salle Green Archers (DLSU) 61: Revilla 16, Teng 13, Torres N. 11, Dela Paz 7, Manguera 6, Andrada 2, Van Opstal 2, Webb 2, Mendoza 1, Tampus 1, Gotladera 0, Paredes 0, Tallo 0, Torres T. 0, Vosotros 0

Scoring Per Quarter: 20-8, 35-28, 53-50 and 71-61